Sunday 21 April 2013

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) – ★★★★½

Director: Rich Moore
Writers: Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, Jim Reardon (Story), Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee (Screenplay)
Stars: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, Ed O’Neill, Alan Tudyk

Wreck-It Ralph is a hilarious comedy from Disney which is a childrens movie for grown-ups, and a grown-up movie for children. Anyone who is a fan of retro and modern gaming is bound to love the clever references to the genres, and of course the nostalgic characters that are brought back into the spotlight. It’s both bright and bubbly, with a hint of darkness looming around the corner. It’s a clever little story that peaks our imagination about arcade games the same way that Toy Story did with out stuffed animals and figurines. This is one of the best animated movies I’ve seen in years.


Ralph is a villain in the video game Fix-It Felix, who is tired of always being a bad guy and getting excluded from the glory. Although he is just as important as the hero’s, he’s treated like dirt by other characters in the game, which brings him to a decision. He decides he’s not going to be the bad guy anymore, and in order to get the same recognition as a hero, he has to win a hero’s medal from another game. This brings him into hilarious situations such as having to fight giant robot aliens, and travelling with the ‘cute as a button,’ Vanellope Von Schweets.

The dialogue is absolutely brilliant for the most part. There are references that make people of all generations laugh. I laughed out loud many times in the theatre, as did so many others. It’s extremely clever from an originality perspective, for each different arcade game is plugged into an adaptor. The characters travel through the chords, into the adaptor (which is their Grand Central Station), and then into other arcade games. This is how Ralph traverses many different areas, which are mesmerising.

At times the movie gets very emotional, which is what Disney excels at best. It had a stellar moral to the story, which is a mixture between ‘learning to love yourself’ and ‘helping others makes you a true hero.’ Through combining magnificent dialogue, exquisite graphics, mind-blowing nostalgia, and a wonderful story, Wreck-It Ralph is the best thing to come from Disney since the nineties.











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